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As I began planning a weekend excursion to a Pittsburgh Steelers football game, it slowly morphed into a Pittsburgh to Detroit road trip. It was fun to tell people, yes, I am going on vacation to two great American cities, Pittsburgh and Detroit. Some people gave me a surprised look, as they asked, you want to go to Pittsburgh and Detroit? Hell yea! They are my two favorite American Cities!

Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, I have been going to Pittsburgh on a regular basis for sporting events and concerts for decades. We usually take in some local attraction there while in the area. To those who ask me, what the heck is there to do in Pittsburgh, I can say every time we go to "the 'Burgh" we always find something to do, and often visit something we have never seen before.

The Frick history complex

Back in March, on our way to see the Penguins play, we embraced a little geek history with a visit the Westinghouse Castle in Wilmerding. On this visit, we stopped to visit the Frick Art and Historical Center. Henry Clay Frick was a rich industrialist from the early twentieth century hanging out with the powers of his day like Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon. Walking through the Frick history complex gives you an understanding of just how rich these guys were.

The Frick complex includes the restored mansion known as Clayton, The Frick Art Museum, The Café, the Greenhouse, and The Car and Carriage Museum. The Café looked pretty nice, but we did not go into it. We arrived in the area late in the day and I wanted to check out The Car and Carriage Museum, not very large but a nice collection of very rare vehicles. Worth stopping by if you are in the Burgh.

One of the reasons I wanted to check out The Car and Carriage Museum at the Frick was to get some automotive technology photos for another new project, a geek history site focusing on automotive invention and innovation.

I know from my personal perspective I probably read more now that I did before the internet. But is the quality of what I read any better, probably not.

I don't want this commentary to become an argument over politics, but the current political campaigns are good example of how the internet "news" has become as much noise as it news. It has created a new sense of reality.

The name calling and childish behavior by supporters of both candidates is amazing. It does not matter which candidate you say you support, someone will call you a childish name for supporting them. "Why are all the (insert name of the candidate you hate here) supporters so (insert negative attribute of person here)."

I dislike the mainstream news articles that allow comments. Every news event becomes a political debate. It always seems to turn into a matter of how the victim could be so stupid, they must be a (member of whatever political party you hate).

The above three paragraphs were the introduction to my answer on an online forum of the question, "What effect has the internet had on what it means to be an informed citizen?" I concluded the answer with my analogy of the internet as a mirror.

The internet is a collection of wires, silicon, and copper, it has no soul, it has no mind of its own. The internet doesn't take sides, it gives birth to both good and evil. The internet is our collective mind, it is our collective soul. The internet is just a mirror, a reflection of the people who use it, and together we have the responsibility to focus and form that reflection.

If you don't like what you see when you look into a mirror, what do you do? Some people break the mirror, others change what's being reflected.

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The Tao of Questy is about love and laughter and being human. It's about sharing ideas and being a little bit crazy in order to stay sane.